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Skyscrapers in U.S. history

Skyscrapers have been a part of the urban American experience for more than 140 years. The first of these tall buildings were constructed in the 1880s, which the cities began to expand. 

These were buildings that were at least 10 stories tall, which began being constructed in cities like New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Boston. Chicago was home of the first steel skyscraper – the Home Insurance Building, which was erected in 1895. It would only last for over 30 years – it was demolished in 1931. 

  

New York’s Flatiron Building was another early skyscraper, erected in lower Manhattan in 1901. Unlike the Home Insurance Building, the Flatiron Building still stands today, although it is dwarfed by the taller buildings that now dot the New York City landscape. 

By the 1960s, skyscrapers were taking on a different look. Architect Fazlur Rahman Khan pioneered with the using of tubular designs for high-rises, something which Khan utilized when he designed Chicago’s Sears (now Willis) Tower, which became the world’s tallest building – a record it held from 1973 to 1998. 

Now, skyscrapers are prevalent all over the world. In fact, the six tallest buildings in the world are located outside the United States. New York’s One World Trade Center is now the 7th tallest building in the world.